The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

286 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
During these dogmatic discussions, the legates were still
engaged with other matters which caused them much anxiety.
On June 6th the Imperial envoys had handed to them the
so-called reform Ubellum of Ferdinand I.^ This compre-
hensive document was the outcome of the discussions of the
Imperial councillors upon the articles of reform which had
been submitted by the legates to the Council on March nth,
and which did not seem to them to be sufificient.
The reform Ubellum of Ferdinand I. embraces the Imperial
demands and proposals with regard to ecclesiastical reform.
It attempts first of all to demonstrate the necessity of a radical
reform of the clergy before the decision of controverted points
of doctrine. Then follow fifteen articles on the amendment
^ It was sent on May 22 and arrived in Trent on the 26, but
on account of the difficulties about the negotiations concerning
the continuation, it was still being kept back. This important
document was only published for the first time in the XVIIIth
century by Schelhorn (Amoenit., I., 501-75), and afterwards by
Le Plat (V., 232-59). It has aroused much interest among
modern historians. Cf. Reimann in the Forschungen zur deutschen
Gesch., VIII. (1868), 177-86; SickelIu the Archiv fiir
osterr. Gesch., XIV. (1871), 1-96 ; TuRBAin Venezian. Depeschen,
III., 270 seq. ; Steinherz, III., 65 seq. ; SAGMtJLLER, Papstwahl-
bullen 125 seq., 164 ; Ritter, I., 157 seqq. ; Kassowitz, 58 seq. ;
Helle, 7 seq., 16, and especially Eder, who (I., 232) comes to the
following conclusion with regard to the story of the origin of the
libellum : the initiative and certainly also the general outline of
the thesis can be traced to Ferdinand himself. The basis of the
material for its carrying out was provided by the Imperial councillor
Georg Gienger, the final form came from the well-known
theologian, Federico Stafilo, who added much material ; it was
approved, and brought into harmony with the Imperial policy
with regard to the Council by the vice-chancellor, Sigismund
Seld, who also contributed something to its contents ; Urban,
Bishop of Gurk, Cordova, the confessor of the wife of Maximilian
II., and Cithard, Ferdinand's confessor, only took a subordinate
part in it. Just as a number of influential persons had co-operated
in the composition of the little work, so various important documents
connected with ecclesiastical reform were made use of in it.